The Magic's Secret
by ccranberry
Summary: The Ant Bully was cute a movie. The graphics were spot on, and the characters were unique...but it left me wanting for more. How did Zoc, the notorious and uptight wizard, ever wind up with Hova..a free, fun loving spirit? This is my take on their story.


_**The Magic's Secret**_

I'm just a 25 year old who is writing a story about two ants who fall in love. What is so weird about that? No, truth be told, "The Ant Bully" is an adorable movie with some awesome graphics and unique character designs. I loved it. I loved it so much that I went online to look up some more fanfiction for this movie and EGAGS…there is hardly any at all. I just felt like there was so much POTENTIONAL with these characters…particularly Zoc and Hova. I mean, how did they meet? How did they end up together? What was life before "The Destroyer" provided them with a hit movie? This is my take…so take it as you will.

For those of you too lazy to read all that above, just know this takes place BEFORE the movie. I also do not own anything…except the typos. Those are all mine.

**Chapter 1: The Grey Beginning**

_We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already._

_-JK Rowling_

Spring was almost over, and it was never easy for an Ant to say goodbye to her. After months of preparing for this year's Great Frost, it was finally time to seal everyone up in the protection and warmth the Earth provided for them. Everyone was gathered for when the colony would officially be closed off, and they watched with somber eyes as the last bit of light was blocked off with rocks. One last whisper of wind flew down into the nest as the gaping hole was sealed, and every little ant took one last breath and soaked it in. That crisp air, which carried the sweet splendor of the outdoors, would be missed by them all. At least for 6 more months.

"We have all done well in preparing for this year's Great Frost, and my gratitude reaches out to every last Ant in this colony." The Queen's velvety voice whispered out from over the council, and the Ants nodded humbly in agreement. "We will be ready for when the Sun returns to us, and for now we will continue to work together to keep this colony great." There was a roaring applause and cheer, before the Queen excused herself and duty resumed as usual. There was always work for an Ant to do, no matter if they are in hibernation or not.

The Head of Council, a wise Ant of many years, had a quaint smile on his face as he gradually excused himself from his peers. He glanced over his shoulder at the hustle behind him, and there was no hiding the pride he felt for his nest. The foragers scurried off to help process and maintain all the food that had been tucked away for everyone's survival, the soldiers graciously took arms up with the builders and continued to secure the nest's structure, the nurses and medics scampered off to the Queen's quarters and nurseries…there was truly not a single ant that did not move with some sense of purpose. It was endearing, and inspiring for the Old Ant to witness. There was, however, a loner that caught his attention…who was walking off away from the hustle and bustle slowly.

Zoc.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for a successful harvest, but Zoc just couldn't bring himself to share in his colony's enthusiasm. There was so much he needed to accomplish this winter, and the weight of such burdens felt heavy on his shoulders. "Another Great Frost..." The cleric ant quietly whispered to himself, glancing distantly at the staff he held tenderly in his hand. For months, if not years, Zoc had worked very hard to prove himself to the Queen, The Council, and above all else his own Colony. Everyone did have their purpose; they all as individual ants worked as a whole unit for the better of the nest, but the young wizard was amidst a lull for himself. His work required time, attention to detail, and above all else patience…which was a virtue he did, in fact, lack considerably.

"You seem a bit lost, Zoc." The grainy and heavy voice that came from behind him nearly caused Zoc to jump out of his shell.

"H-Head of Council!" Zoc pushed himself up against the wall besides him, before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. He nodded his head low out of respect, before smiling a little uneasily at the Elder. "I was just…lost in thought, that's all."

"I suppose loosing yourself in your thoughts can't be all that bad….unless maybe you think _too _much." The Elder Ant smiled genuinely at Zoc, before folding his long fingers into each other and walking off casually. "You've brought such good to the colony, Zoc. Don't look so glum just because winter will be a quiet time for you, and us all." It was true, too. Zoc had managed, even as a young pupa, to discover what magic nature provided to them and how to utilize it for good. The markings on the tunnel walls of the colony, the ones that provided them all with the unwavering light they needed to function for winter, came from his very findings. The Head of Council remembered the day Zoc ran up to them as a younger ant, eyes wide and unassuming, as he flailed about in exclamations of sap from a tree that he could make glow. Every wall of the colony was coated with this nectar, and even provided the means for The Hall of Chambers to be created. It was the first taste of magic the ant had ever received, and Zoc had made a Wizard of himself from that moment on. Work, however, was all he knew. He would be closed off from nature and forced into hibernation like everyone else, and it was eating him alive.

"Yes, Head of Council…I know."

It took Zoc a bit longer than usual to get back to his own little nook. He glanced around his home quietly, before walking over to a large, closet-like structure that he had made out spiraling, dead roots. He opened up the little door and pensively looked at his collection of herbs and plants. There was one universal threat to the colony, and that was the humans that lived so dangerously close to their home. It was fair to say that not too many ants favored humans, but Zoc held a particular sour taste for them. A gritty sigh escaped from the wizard as he closed his eyes and flashed back to a rather painful memory; that of a human child who maliciously ran over the ant hill without any warrant or warning. The colossal foot, which left ridged marks in the sand that resembled snakes, caused countless injuries and even a few deaths within the colony. It wasn't the first time Zoc had crossed paths with a human before, but it was the first time this nest was threatened. What could a little ant do against a human? As it turns out, quite a lot! Zoc was never content with accepting that the way of nature put the colony at a disadvantage, and he had dedicated his life into finding a way to protect his home. The clutter of magical supplies that flooded his cabinet spoke all the truth to that. After all, there was nothing else for a Wizard other than his work.

"Have you ever seen snow before? I'm sure it must be beautiful…I would give anything to see it for myself."

"Hova, dear, I don't think he's ever seen snow before."

Hova blinked down at the little larva in her arms, and it stared up at her with big glossy eyes. "Oh, I guess not!" She grinned and wiggled her face close to the little baby ant, her voice dipping into a comically low tone. "I'm sure he would agree with me though." She grinned and placed the larva back into its nesting pod, before turning to the other nurse behind her.

"Agree with what? That you're a complete nut?" The two nurses giggled with each other and Hova shrugged the conversation off. She was use to ants not understanding her, and truth be told it only fueled her curiosity about the world even more. "I'm just saying…we lock ourselves into our nest for so long every year, that nobody even gives it any thought at all anymore. We just get the food together, practically rebuild everything to be ten times stronger, and just sit around and wait until somebody says the sun is back!"

"There is plenty to do during Frost times, Hova. You know that. You need to calm down before you become anxious and stir-crazy."

"I suppose so. I'm going to walk it off, do you need anything?" When the other ant shook her head with a smile, Hova trotted out the door and down through the nursery tunnels. She gazed out at all the other ants who passed her by, and who scurried along with their work and other duties through the intertwining halls. Her eyes traveled up the massive pillars towards the now net of rocks that sealed the colony inside the nest, and her shoulders slumped a little. "Cold or not, I always miss the fresh air." Hova's traveling became a bit absent as she pondered over all the little things in her mind worth pondering over, and before she realized it she had come to a dead end. With a slight frown she huffed at the blocked off tunnel; knowing that it usually served as a gateway outside. It was true, an Ant could break through if there were an emergency, but nobody ever had to since the beginning of All. It was a known fact that all the insects and most of the animals of the outside world also hibernate in winter. She lifted her hand up and flicked a little speck of dirt at nothing in particular, before turning around to head back to the nursery. Her antennae, however, flinched abruptly as she heard something unusual. It was muffled, and Hova's eyes squinted as she edged closer to the dirt wall in front of her.

It was crying of some kind. The voice was tiny, coming from outside, and certainly was in distress. Hova looked around her widely for a moment, before wincing. It could have been anything, and any other Ant would resound to accept it as nature at work, but Hova actually felt the strings of her heart being tugged by the helpless pleas. Perhaps there was a subconscious part of her that just wanted to break free and be outside one last time, or perhaps she just truly was an Ant who could not ignore a cry for help. Either way, she knew she wasn't going to be back at the nursery anytime soon. "Something is hurt out there…Oh-", she bit her lip, before turning around and running down the hall with her arms flailed. "I need a builder! _HELLO?_"

_"Curses!"_

A rosemary leaf was already wilting. Zoc had only just begun to get settled in, before realizing half of his supplies were not going to last long. He had no use for dried up herbs, as their life essence was key to his potions, and he tossed the little leaf onto a small pile of other useless shrubbery. He sighed and leaned his boney cheek into his hand, his antennae flickering nonchalantly as some commotion stirred outside his door.

"She's off her rocker, but what can I do? She'll dig herself out no matter what!"

"Listen, so long as she doesn't make the entire tunnel cave in I could care less."

"An ant trying to get outside during the Frost must sincerely have a _death wish_ anyway-"

"She's going on about something crying-I don't know-"

"_EXCUSE ME_-"Zoc huffed as he swung the crooked door to his nook open, and flinched as some sand fell onto his brow bone. "Could you possibly keep it down? I'm trying to work here!"

The three ants glanced at the wizard in an unimpressed away, before shrugging their shoulders and walking off. Zoc wrinkled his face at them slightly before another noise caught his attention, most likely coming from whatever Ant they were just talking about. "What is going on anyway?"

"There is some nurse down there who insists on going outside to rescue something. Who knows!"

"…And you're just going to allow them to do that?"

"Trust me, there is no stopping her!"

Zoc huffed at them before rolling his eyes and marching off in the direction they signaled to. "Your concern for antkind is touching."

Hova was almost there; she could smell it. The little barricade was thick and difficult to dig through, but she was positive that if she could just get a little further she'd make it outside. The crying was easier to hear, but there was also a weakness to it that wasn't there before. Whoever or whatever was making that noise was suffering, and it only made Hova all the more determined.

"Uh, Hello? What are doing up there?"

Hova flinched at the male voice she heard behind her, and frowned as she refused to look back out of the little tunnel she was digging. "Don't you hear that? Someone out there needs help!"

Zoc looked up as he listened to the petty whimpers she referred to, before waving an arm up in a dramatic nature. "You're destroying a barricade because there is something out there, out in WINTER, that sounds troubled? Do you realize what you are even doing? HEY-"

Zoc grunted as the female ant seemed to just ignore him, before he lowered his head to look up at the tunnel she was in the middle of digging. He couldn't see much, other than her legs, and immediately got a face full of sand and dirt.

"AUGH-"

"Either help or not! Yelling won't get you anywhere with me!"

"Maybe you don't realize-"Zoc stood upright again and wiped his face clean, before frowning at the mess the ant was making around him. "But during winter a lot of things outside die. It is a part of nature! Our _colony_ is accounted for and safe, and if we ventured out every time we heard an insect in distress we'd all freeze ourselves! Not to mention you are destroying a barricade meant specifically to keep the cold OUT. You just have-"

"_AH_!" Hova exclaimed in excitement and Zoc winced as a bright light suddenly seeped out from the hole Hova made and crawled through. "Obviously it wasn't made THAT great!" She had reached outside, and with an unenthusiastic grunt Zoc climbed into her tunnel and began to chase after her.

"Oh! Look at this! Feel that! I'm going to see snow for the first time- Its so…it's so…_COLD_-"

_"REALLY?_" Zoc growled in cruel sarcasm and shielded his eyes from the light as he followed after her. "YOU'RE CRAZY-" he reached up to try and grab onto one of her legs, but he just missed it as she made it outside, and instead got a little pebble flung into his mouth. He hacked and sputtered a bit as he coughed it back up with a grunt.

It was true, Hova was naïve and unprepared for the frigid temperature that hit her in the face. Winter had only just begun, however, and there was still no snow on the ground. She frowned, wondering if she was missing something, as she gazed up at the dead and brown grass towering over them. Everything was covered in a gray haze and the air carried a stiff bitterness to it. The world was quiet, and there was no sign of life anywhere…as if everything was asleep. It was completely eerie to see the same surroundings she grew up in, but in this coma state. There was no colors, no chirps and squeaks, so laughter…no wonder everybody wanted to stay inside. How depressing! She scurried outside and saw that she, at least, wasn't that far from the nest's main entrance. Her antennae, quickly turning stiff from the temperature, fluttered in the direction of the crying that she was determined to find. "It sounds so close-"

Zoc grunted as he struggled to climb through her narrow tunnel, his staff smacking him in the face a few times as he refused to drop it. When he finally reached outside he too was struck cold to the core from the icy air. His whole body seemed to flinch as he shuddered, and he was about to yell something obscure before he heard an exclaim come from the side.

"Oh, look!" Hova frowned and knelt in front of something, and Zoc fumbled over to her in bewilderment. "We need to get back inside where it is safe-" He scowled and grabbed her arm to turn her around to face him, but the tension in his shoulders immediately fell and his eyes widened just slightly as she looked up at him with large, violet colored eyes.

"He's just a baby…" In her arms was a small, green light bug that looked like was only a few hours old. It was nearly frozen solid, and there was a small trace of a spider's web still locked onto its frail little legs. Zoc felt a little knife go through his heart as his eyes bounced back and forth between Hova and the little light bug, and couldn't believe himself as he lowered his tone to a more gentle volume. "If we get inside I might be able to help." Hova stood upright and smiled at Zoc in gratitude; nestling the little bug against her chest. "I hope so!"

Zoc starred at her as she quickly ran back over to the hole she created, and shot him a glance from over her shoulder as she climbed back down into the nest. "Come on!" The corner of his mouth twitched a bit as his hand awkwardly hung, suspended in the air, from when he had grabbed her shoulder. He had a knot in his stomach that was unlike him, and he shook his head to snap himself out of it. He sighed heavily and looked around the decaying outdoors once last time before running after her, hoping the trembling that had taken over him was just from the cold.

Much, much more to come! I'm going to try to get a few chapters done a week. Yaay! Oh, and even though I won't be expecting reviews, if you do end up liking this it would be awesome to let me know. That way I don't get lazy and loose interest right now I have The Ant Bully on my DVR and I've been watching it for inspiration. Whoot!


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